4 Cleveland Browns Could Be In The Dawg House After Loss

Hue Jackson

After two weeks, it’s already been a long season for coach Hue Jackson.

He is saying all the right things, and remains optimistic on the direction of the team, but it’s not showing on the field.

Relax, i’m not saying the team needs to fire him like some Browns fans are already suggesting, but the product is still sloppy, and offensively, it seems worst than last year.

It doesn’t seem like he’s putting Kizer in a good position to succeed. His gameplan seems to include throwing the ball down the field, and hoping for the best outcome. He’s not incorporating the run game as he said he would during Training Camp.

In two games, Isaiah Crowell has 27 carries for only 70 yards. That’s atrocious. Some of it can be because of the offensive line collapsing, his failure to gain yards or the Pittsburgh Steelers and Ravens defense stacking the box, but I think Jackson has a lot to do with it.

There were times when Crowell gained positive yardage, and right after he did, he either took him out and put Duke Johnson or Matthew Dayes in, or he went right back to slinging the ball down the field.

He never had a chance to build off of his momentum from the previous play, and that falls on Hue.

I’m not making excuses for Crowell. He needs to play better as a whole, and stop falling over his own two feet again, but it’s hard for any back to gain an edge when he’s taken out after a big play–let alone only getting 27 total carries.

Another issue with the Browns has been penalties.

They had 10 penalties on Sunday. That is inexcusable. Most of it is on the players, and realizing their situation and avoiding bad decisions, but it also falls on Jackson and his coaching staff. Some were bad calls by the officials as well, but it’s still no excuse for that many.

They’re failing to instill discipline into the players, and as a result, they keep committing costly penalties during the game. Again, 10 in a NFL game!

I was the biggest fan of getting Jackson last season. He was the best coach available, and I felt like he could build off the success he achieved back with the Oakland Raiders back in 2011, and with his offenses as a coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.

So far, it’s been a huge letdown.

It’s still extremely early in the season, and my mindset can change with improvements on both sides of the ball.

Jackson must learn to call a balanced offense instead of being throw-heavy–or he can give his play-calling duties to an offensive coordinator. He has to stop taking Crowell/Johnson/Dayes out of the game after they gain positive yards.

The offense becomes predictable and it therefore makes opposing defenses pin their ears back, and become blitz and zone heavy. Lastly, he must be tougher on the players about the penalties. No professional team should have nearly that many.

It’s a young team, but they know what to avoid, and Jackson must instill that in them as the head coach.

We’ll see if changes are made starting this week.